Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Chicago’s Arctic Freeze Brings Up the Question: What is the Purpose of Schools?

An interesting discussion broke out over the recent announcement by the Chicago Public Schools to keep schools open despite a dangerous extreme cold snap hitting the city, a
decision which they later reversed thanks in part to pressure from the Chicago
Teachers Union.

On social media, many worried that closing schools would be
detrimental to the neediest families.
Many claimed, rightfully-so, that school was often the only place where
kids could get a hot meal and a warm, safe environment.

And this controversy really hit home for me how much we have
come to view schools as the only comprehensive form of poverty alleviation in our society. This argument regarding schools has become so
second-nature to many, that we never stop and think about what this really
means.

Here is what I wrote on my facebook page regarding the
decision:

Everyone is in an uproar about kids not having a place to be
warm, safe, and to get meals, if schools are closed tomorrow. Where is the
outrage that these same needy kids don't have those basic services all the
other times that school is not in session? We should be filling the streets in
protest knowing that any child ever goes hungry or cold in this city, but
instead we've been conditioned to conflate this issue with schools. They are
not the same thing!

If we as a society truly want schools to be where we combat
poverty, then we must take that task seriously. That means funding schools to be places of
social services. And I don’t mean
leaving that job up to already over-worked administrators and teachers to
write grants or solicit online donations, or for parents and community groups to hold fund-raisers always scrounging
and begging. Schools are public spaces
and I have no problem with that space serving multiple functions such as becoming health
clinics, food depositories, warming/cooling centers, community centers, and providing mental health supports,. (Heck, all those "underutilzed" schools would be a great place to implement these programs. Whoops, already closed most of them down...) But all of these
programs require serious money and staff to operate.

Now, even if we did implement all the wraparound services
mentioned above, that is merely addressing the symptoms, not the cause. The only way to truly make a dent in poverty
is to end the growing inequality in this country. Tax the wealthy, demand a higher minimum wage,
rein in Wall St, invest in public services including affordable housing, free
and universal health care, and true equitable funding in education. Can we really not, at the very minimum, protect children from the traumas of poverty?

Since we seem unable to even conceive of these changes, then we must fund schools to be the band-aids they are constantly asked to be. Give the neediest schools the most
money. And then do not complain about
the costs of education. Other countries
provide for their citizens through social services. Finland’s schools aren't expected to be
anything other than a school.

Let our schools be schools.
Principals and teachers in low-income schools should not have to be
responsible for all the needs of the kids and their families. Many schools and individuals take on this
task because they know that not having access to these basic services makes
their job of educating children near impossible. But frankly, educators are not trained to be
doctors or social workers or charity workers.
And they shouldn't have to be.

It amazes me how normalized poverty is in our country. We cannot imagine a world which actually
takes care of our kids. The idea that
closing down schools in a weather emergency would put kids in danger should be
an eye-opener. The fact that no one
blinked an eyelash when private schools and suburban districts across the
affected states all immediately decided to close schools, but were outraged
that people wanted CPS to have the same consideration for student and staff safety. Everybody knows the difference between those
schools. Poverty, it always comes down
to poverty.

Schools cannot pick up all the burdens of our cruel, racist,
unequal country. And we need to stop
expecting them to.

Off-topic, but I was wondering if you'd be interested in joining in a panel discussion or possibly conference that our small private progressive school is putting together this spring. The overall topic is going to be something to do with the role of private, progressive schools in light of the education "reform" sweeping the country. I would especially love to have you on the panel because of everything you've written about the mental health impact you've seen related to Common Core, testing, etc.

If you're interested in participating, or even just finding out more, please email me at dienne_7@yahoo.com. Thanks for your consideration!

About Me

I'm a special education teacher in the Chicago Public Schools. I've taught kids with severe emotional/behavioral disorders on an inpatient psych unit in Chicago and ESL in Japan. I love my kiddos (^-^)/